Surendranagar (Gujarat): Once general elections are over, the next government that will be appointed will take the dialogue process with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) forward, said Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today, on the second day of the second phase of his Bharat Uday Yatra. ''The talks with the separatist amalgam have been satisfactory and progressing well. The new government at the Centre will continue with the dialogue process and hold the third round of talks in June,'' Advani told reporters here on the 19th day of his yatra. ''When I told the Hurriyat leaders that the Centre will hold talks in June, they expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance would return to power,'' he said. While the first round was held on January 22, the second was held in New Delhi on March 27.

Poll campaign in Andhra goes high-tech (Go To Top)

          Hyderabad: Campaigning for the April-May elections in Andhra Pradesh is going high-tech, with the political parties launching innovative methods to drive home their message. Techno-savvy politicians are armed with mobile phones, internet messages, video compact discs and short films to woo the voters in the state, which is going for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously. Voters in the 42 parliamentary, or 294 Assembly constituencies, will vote on April 20 and 26. The state's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) seems to be ahead of others in launching novel methods for campaign. It has already launched 25 specially-designed multi-utility vehicles (MUVs) and trained crew to campaign for the party. Another 60 MUVs are on the way.

          The truck-turned-stage on wheels, equipped with multimedia blitz, would be used to address the voters both in urban and rural areas. These vehicles accommodate big television screens, projectors and loudspeakers to reach the message as well as to entertain the people around. The party has already roped in a number of prominent artistes and technicians to prepare video and short films which can be used along with the publicity material provided to the grassroot party workers. TDP's public relations agency which designed the MUVs, said these could be considered as moving hoardings.

          "Basically there are three things (in these multi-utility vehicles). This can be considered as a moving hoarding which has its own visibility explaining the development activities of the government and the motto of the party. The second thing is that there are more of interactive methods where we have cultural troupes enacting different activites, explaining to them (voters) the benefits if they vote for the TDP. And the third thing is songs which are made by our own producers," Vishnuvardhan Reddy of Rhythm media said. However, the conventional election campaign style also has not lost its charm.

         The state is already flooded with flags, bunting, posters, cutouts and banners of political parties. With the election fever gripping the nation, prospective candidates and party workers are making a beeline to the wholesale and retail shops to procure publicity material. "The main demand is for the usual banners, caps and the party flags. Apart from that we supply anything on demand. If they say that they want photos, stickers, badges, we will make it. And there are demands for colourful balloons with party emblems on it," P.N. Goel, a shopkeeper, said. Goel sells readymade publicity material complete with pictures of senior leaders of all parties, party flags and symbols. People from neigbouring Maharashtra also come to Goel's to buy the paraphernalia as almost all of them are available under one roof. With changing times and innovation, the manufacturers have replaced the old-fashioned paper publicity materials with all- weather plastic coated flags, banners, posters etc.